This is, without a doubt, the best 2D Metroid has ever been.
There is so much to love about Metroid Dread. As a newer Metroid fan who has yet to play through the Prime Trilogy, I don't have the emotional connection to the infamous Project Dread easter egg in the Prime games that longtime fans of the series have. However, I do know the history of the original Metroid Dread; the DS entry that was cancelled in 2007 because the technology couldn't meet the expectations of the developers. I can't speak for them, but I can hardly imagine a product that could stand up to legacy of the Dread name any better than this fantastic game.
The most important thing in Metroid is the game's atmosphere. Dread nails this in its simple setup for Samus' mission: the Galactic Federation has sent seven E.M.M.I units to Planet ZDR in response to a mysterious video of an X parasite, which was thought to be destroyed by Samus in her prior mission. When Samus gets to ZDR, she is immediately attacked by a mysterious Chozo antagonist: a simple exposition which challenges the player's notion of the birdlike people who developed the technology of her Power Suit. Upon further exploration, Samus comes across one of the E.M.M.I units, warped and reprogrammed in some way to target Samus with a murderous vengeance. The EMMIs not only serve as Samus' greatest threat in any of her adventures - one hit from these beasts sends you directly to a Game Over - but, shift the atmosphere to something far more terrifying than the player might initially expect.
Samus' mobility heightens the game's atmosphere in a really unique way. This is by far the best Samus has ever felt to control; each of her different powers are executed well in a control set that just feels perfect; even Shinesparking feels far better in Dread than it has in previous missions. The Slide and Flash Shift feel like perfect additions to Samus' arsenal of tools, and other new inclusions like the Phantom Cloak add to a much more defensive-focused toolset for the protagonist. Because Samus feels so nice to control, it greatly increases the immersion factor, leading to an even better execution of the atmospheric choices of the developers.
Progression through exploration is another important part of the Metroid series, and once again Metroid Dread nails this element. Metroid Dread certainly feels a lot more linear than something like Super Metroid, but maintains a nice balance between the more open, exploratory style of Super and the far more linear style of Fusion. I never felt unintentionally lost while exploring Planet ZDR, despite how large the planet's areas felt at some points, which gave me the leisure to explore the planet as much as I wanted to. Dread rewards the player for their exploration with Missle Tank, Energy Tank, Power Bomb, and the new Piece of Heart-like Energy Parts. Some of these upgrades are satisfyingly difficult to collect, and require extreme precision with the Shinespark. Even though I still wish the game would be a little bit clearer on all of the possible ways the player can use the Shinespark, the feeling of satisfaction that you get when getting a particularly difficult upgrade more than makes up for your painstaking efforts.
Though Metroid games are not necessarily known for their storytelling, I think that Metroid Dread acts as a satisfying conclusion to the 2D saga. I won't spoil anything in this review, but I will say that the game does a good job keeping you engaged with the story throughout, and tosses in quite a few crazy plot twists to boot. If I had one thing to complain about with the story, it's that the game ends incredibly abruptly, which sort of takes away from the "wow" factor. Since this is the conclusion of what is essentially a 5-game long story, I would have liked to see maybe a few cutscenes or at least dialogue scenes to wrap things up after you defeat the final boss. However, Dread does a great job keeping everything engaging for the player that it is satisfying nonetheless.
If you're a fan of recent games like Hollow Knight or Bloodstained that have helped to modernize the Metroidvania genre, especially in the indie scene, give Dread a try. Even though it's the last game in a 35-year storyline, there is almost no better place to start your adventures with Samus. Metroid Dread has a few faults, but does far much more right, and is definitely my game of the year so far in 2021.
There is so much to love about Metroid Dread. As a newer Metroid fan who has yet to play through the Prime Trilogy, I don't have the emotional connection to the infamous Project Dread easter egg in the Prime games that longtime fans of the series have. However, I do know the history of the original Metroid Dread; the DS entry that was cancelled in 2007 because the technology couldn't meet the expectations of the developers. I can't speak for them, but I can hardly imagine a product that could stand up to legacy of the Dread name any better than this fantastic game.
The most important thing in Metroid is the game's atmosphere. Dread nails this in its simple setup for Samus' mission: the Galactic Federation has sent seven E.M.M.I units to Planet ZDR in response to a mysterious video of an X parasite, which was thought to be destroyed by Samus in her prior mission. When Samus gets to ZDR, she is immediately attacked by a mysterious Chozo antagonist: a simple exposition which challenges the player's notion of the birdlike people who developed the technology of her Power Suit. Upon further exploration, Samus comes across one of the E.M.M.I units, warped and reprogrammed in some way to target Samus with a murderous vengeance. The EMMIs not only serve as Samus' greatest threat in any of her adventures - one hit from these beasts sends you directly to a Game Over - but, shift the atmosphere to something far more terrifying than the player might initially expect.
Samus' mobility heightens the game's atmosphere in a really unique way. This is by far the best Samus has ever felt to control; each of her different powers are executed well in a control set that just feels perfect; even Shinesparking feels far better in Dread than it has in previous missions. The Slide and Flash Shift feel like perfect additions to Samus' arsenal of tools, and other new inclusions like the Phantom Cloak add to a much more defensive-focused toolset for the protagonist. Because Samus feels so nice to control, it greatly increases the immersion factor, leading to an even better execution of the atmospheric choices of the developers.
Progression through exploration is another important part of the Metroid series, and once again Metroid Dread nails this element. Metroid Dread certainly feels a lot more linear than something like Super Metroid, but maintains a nice balance between the more open, exploratory style of Super and the far more linear style of Fusion. I never felt unintentionally lost while exploring Planet ZDR, despite how large the planet's areas felt at some points, which gave me the leisure to explore the planet as much as I wanted to. Dread rewards the player for their exploration with Missle Tank, Energy Tank, Power Bomb, and the new Piece of Heart-like Energy Parts. Some of these upgrades are satisfyingly difficult to collect, and require extreme precision with the Shinespark. Even though I still wish the game would be a little bit clearer on all of the possible ways the player can use the Shinespark, the feeling of satisfaction that you get when getting a particularly difficult upgrade more than makes up for your painstaking efforts.
Though Metroid games are not necessarily known for their storytelling, I think that Metroid Dread acts as a satisfying conclusion to the 2D saga. I won't spoil anything in this review, but I will say that the game does a good job keeping you engaged with the story throughout, and tosses in quite a few crazy plot twists to boot. If I had one thing to complain about with the story, it's that the game ends incredibly abruptly, which sort of takes away from the "wow" factor. Since this is the conclusion of what is essentially a 5-game long story, I would have liked to see maybe a few cutscenes or at least dialogue scenes to wrap things up after you defeat the final boss. However, Dread does a great job keeping everything engaging for the player that it is satisfying nonetheless.
If you're a fan of recent games like Hollow Knight or Bloodstained that have helped to modernize the Metroidvania genre, especially in the indie scene, give Dread a try. Even though it's the last game in a 35-year storyline, there is almost no better place to start your adventures with Samus. Metroid Dread has a few faults, but does far much more right, and is definitely my game of the year so far in 2021.